The Sockpenguin Adventures
by Sylibane Eclypse
Summary: A young trainer and her quirky starter travel around Sinnoh as two new villainous teams rise and legendaries walk among mortals. Game canon, some anime mockery. Set after Platinum. Mostly OCs. I don’t own Pokémon.
1. Chapter 1 Droplet

This was my first Pokémon OC fic. I started writing it last summer but it kinda sucked, so I'm rewriting it.

Few quick notices:

First, if you absolutely love the Pokémon anime, do not read this. There is a lot of anime bashing (mostly indirect)

Second, this is an OC fic. So naturally, there are quite a few OCs. Some of the ones that appear in this chapter fall into the void forever and you can forget about them. But some are major. Just a heads up.

Major game characters – gym leaders, champions, professors – will appear, but I created most of the major characters.

Third, there will be attempts to load this fic with geeky jokes.

Fourth, this is set several months after Platinum. And it's game canon, though I might make a few things up.

Fifth, this is told in first person of an OC. Warning. So don't be confused. There might be a few places in third person because the fic was originally in third person, but I changed that.

Sixth, I am not Nintendo.

Finally, special thanks to 'Lily' and 'Evan', my beta readers. You guys rock!

Chapter one: Droplet

"_Cyndi Ebon, age ten. Birthday: December 12__th__. Cyndi plans to travel across Sinnoh and collect gym badges if she can. She enjoys fishing, coffee and rare and unusual Pokémon. _I didn't know you liked coffee, Cynd!"

I looked at my little brother, Lee, who was holding a piece of paper. "I _do_ like coffee, as a matter of fact," I snapped. "What _are _you reading?"

Lee held up the paper. "The thingy they make about the new trainers at school. Mrs. Jade handed them out just before we left."

I'd forgotten that every year, Jubilife City Trainers School printed mini-articles about the trainers graduating from it. I'd also forgotten that the students who had siblings who were graduating received copies, and that Lee qualified.

"Let me see that." I took the paper from him and searched through the names of classmates until I found one:

_Patsy Rose, age ten. Birthday: May 25__th__. Patsy plans to go on a great adventure with her friends, both human and Pokémon. She loves music, dance and other fun things!_

I snickered. Patsy Rose had _really_ good grades in school, lots of friends and the admiration of adults. However, she's not flawless – as far as I knew then, Lee was much more prepared to be a trainer than _she_ was.

"Is Patsy Rose Candy Rose's sister?" Lee asked, looking over my shoulder.

"I guess." I passed the paper back to him. "Who's Candy Rose?"

"She's an annoying girl in my class."

I leaned back against the back of the bench. "Then she must be Patsy's sister."

The two of us sat silently for a moment, enjoying the late spring evening. Lee broke the silence by asking, "Didn't you get your starter today?"

"Yeah…" today, being the final day of school for my class at the Jubilife City Trainer's School, had been the day we'd received our starters.

"What is it?" Lee prompted.

"Well...the Poké balls were color-coded and there was this riddle…here." I removed the crumpled piece of paper from my jean pocket and passed it to my little brother. He read it out loud, pronouncing the large words slowly and carefully.

"_In the third ball in the first column is a computer quite swell_

_Just above it is an egg still with shell_

_Seek in two corners for sparklets so bright_

_In the others is fire that sets grass alight_

_Find this grass next together; one yellow one blue_

_Red hides the chivalrous and those who change too_

_Over three, two down was born of the stone_

_Yellow in last row will become hero unknown_

_In bottom next to a sparklet is the naughty mime_

_Five balls away will grow as hardened as time._

Lee tossed it back to me. "Uh, what? I don't get it. What _did _you get?"

Before I could answer, a very familiar voice caught my attention. "Hi! Cinders! Over here!"

It was Terrence Walker, a fellow new trainer, ex-student at Jubilife City Trainer's School and my close friend. Okay, _best _friend. He approached us, grinning. I stood, feeling a little more confident. Terrence's a nice guy. He wouldn't care about my starter…right?

"Hey, Cinders." He clapped me on the shoulder, grinning. "What's up?"

I playfully pulled away from him and folded my arms. "I dunno. They sky, maybe?"  
"Heh, you're funny."

"What did you get for your starter?"

Terrence gave me his 'innocent' face and quoted the riddle. "_Red hides the chivalrous and those who change too."_

I got the feeling I wasn't the only person mincing words that evening. "And that would be…?" I prompted, feeling a little ticked.

"It's a surprise. What about you?"

I decided to play his game. "_Five balls away will grow as hardened as time."_

"What's that supposed to mean?"

I smirked. "It's a surprise."

"Hey, Cinders."

"Yeah?"

"We're trainers now."

"Yeah?" I noticed that Terrence was casually tossing the Poké ball he'd received earlier that day into the air.

"We've made eye contact."

"Oh." I removed the Poké ball I'd received earlier that day from my pocket and followed Terrence to a small park near the Trainers' School. Once we'd reached the park, Terrence and I assumed positions, leaving an open space for the Pokémon to battle in.

Beautiflies were beginning to appear in my stomach. There was a reason I hadn't told Lee and Terrence what my starter was: _I didn't know at all. _All I knew that, if I'd selected the correct Pokémon (and I wasn't entirely sure I had), it was supposed to grow to be 'as hardened as time'. I had no idea what that meant, but I figured the Pokémon would grow to be strong and powerful.

But no time to fret about that. The battle had started.

There was a flash of blue light, and a brown, mammalian creature appeared in front of Terrence – an Eevee.

"Beautiful, isn't she?"

I was surprised. "It's female_?"_

Terrence reached down and briefly patted his starter on the back. "Yeah, it's a she. C'mon, what's that surprise you've got?"

Hands shaking, I released my starter. When I saw it, my heart leapt into my throat before dropping. _How in the name of the legendaries…?_

"Nice one, Cyndi."

"Nice?" I shouted, flustered. A common weakling! How'd I wind up with that? "If I wanted one of these, I could've just gone to Sandgem! Besides, how-?"

"Is it as hardened as time? You tell me. C'mon, stop sulking. We've got a battle to fight. Use Tackle!"

The Eevee sprang forward and hit my starter.

"Use Pound," I commanded dejectedly. It enthusiastically slammed into the Eevee.

"C'mon, Cinders, where's your fighting spirit?" Terrence teased. "You were so excited earlier…"  
"On top of Mount Coronet, I 'spose. What's her name?"

"Oh, my Eevee? Flinch. Yours?"

"Uh…" my mind felt blank. I hadn't been trying to think of names at all. "HEY, LEE? WHAT'S A GOOD NAME FOR A PIPLUP?"

Lee thought for a moment. "Droplet!" he announced.

Terrence grinned as he ordered his starter to use Tackle once again. "You really haven't trained with your Piplup, have you?"

"This is the first time I've had him out," I admitted. "Keep using Pound," I added to Droplet, who energetically continued hitting Flinch with his head.

"Still, you could've checked it with your _Pokédex_," Terrence ribbed.

"What Dex?"

"Oh, you didn't get a Dex? I thought you went to Sandgem to get your precious starter! The professor didn't give you a Dex to help you?"

My face burned. "Shut up, Terrence, that's not fu – yaaaah!"

I felt myself slam into the grass, inches away from hitting the Piplup, who wailed and fled. The girl who'd tackled me climbed off of me and stood up.

"Hello, Patsy." I pulled myself up and put my hat, which had fallen off, back on. "That wasn't your usual style."

Patsy Rose was slightly smaller than all the other ten-year-olds at Jubilife City Trainer's School, perhaps because she was the youngest. She was wearing her usual blouse and plaid skirt; today's color was Jigglypuff pink. She's got rich, strawberry blonde hair, bright blue eyes and a face that was normally smiling. Right now, however, it looked cross – the way it looked whenever Patsy confronted someone she believed was breaking the rules. Patsy's a bit of a nut 'bout rules, really.

"I tackled you because you were fighting. I don't recall either of you being _so_ violent in school. What changed?"

"What changed?" Terrence laughed. "I dunno – maybe we got _Pokémon_ or something?"

"_I_ have a Pokémon," Patsy reminded us. "But he's my _friend. _I'm not going to make him get hurt!"

For the first time, I noticed a Pichu hiding behind Patsy's curtain of hair. Patsy picked him off of her shoulder and held him out for us to see.

"This is Perry the Pichu. I was hoping I'd get a girl Pokémon, but he's still going to be my friend." She set the Tiny Mouse Pokémon on her shoulder and walked off, heading in the direction of Jubilife Condominiums. "Come, Perry. I'll make you some nice hot chocolate. I'm not gonna make you get hurt!"

After she was out of hearing range, Terrence snorted and pulled me to my feet. "Well, at least one thing hasn't changed – Patsy's still Patsy. Still mad at me?"

"Maaaybe. In fact, I think I'll just beat you over the head with my Dex!"

Terrence doubled over laughing. Really, it doesn't take much to amuse him. "Anyway, I've heard some of the other kids are meeting by the GTS. Should we go join them?"

"Yeah, whatever, just give me a moment to – yaaaah!"

Droplet had jumped into the fountain and sent a torrent of water everywhere, soaking Terrence and I. I winced as the chilled water hit me, soaking my clothes.

"Note – to – self," I growled, pulling out the Poke ball and returning Droplet to it. "Get – a – new – Pokémon – as – soon – as – possible."

Laughing slightly, Terrence wrung out the hem of his sweater and picked up Flinch, who snuggled against his chest. The two of them had barely known each other for a day and they already trusted each other. I glowered at them, grumpy that they went so well together. Don't get me wrong – I'm not one of those people who insist that friendship's the only thing trainers need. However, I do know that dysfunctional teams do not work, and it didn't take a genius to tell that I would be incompatible with a psychotic, weakling _Piplup_.

The three of us headed towards the towering Global Trade Station. Outside of the building, a crowd of new trainers mingled.

"Hey, Cinders! Hey, Terrence!" one of them called. His name's Evan Trueshot and he also had an Eevee, though his is male. He's a nice guy, but I've never really hung out around him. Also, he's a huge computer geek. Just thought you'd like to know. "What happened to you?"

I stared at the running shoes I'd gotten for my birthday nearly six months ago while Terrence explained, "We were down by the park near school. Cyndi's Piplup jumped in the fountain, see."

Some kids laughed. I scowled at them. Jerks. I wanted to challenge them to handling a Piplup as crazy as Droplet. _They _probably thought he was all fun and special.

"Does anyone want to battle?" A boy named Warren Bay asked.

"Be careful," Terrence warned. "Cinders and I were battling and Patsy showed up and jumped Cyndi." More kids laughed. I shot several of the worst offenders nasty looks before shrinking into the building-cast shadows.

"Who won?" Tim Branite, the ground-and-rock-type-lover, asked.

Terrence winked at me. "It was a draw. Now, who's going to battle Warren?"

"I will." A girl with long, dark hair stepped forward.

"Marian?" Evan whispered. "The shyest girl in Jubilife City? _Challenging _someone? Especially Warren, one of the best battlers in the class?"

Warren shrugged, and he and Marian took positions facing each other. Knowing him, he was probably desperate to finally fight _someone. _The others formed a ring around them as they removed their Poké balls.

"What about Patsy?" a girl, Jess, asked.

"Lee, go keep a lookout for Patsy, or for any other obnoxious people for that matter," I instructed my little brother. Nodding enthusiastically, he ran over to a bench, climbed up on it, and scanned the area eagerly.

I watched him for a moment before Warren's and Marian's voices snapped me back to the battle.

"Go, Sapphira!  
"Take 'em out, Hoppy!"

I spun around to see a Gible and a Togepi collide in midair.

"Use Dragon Claw!" Warren shouted.

"Hit 'em with Grass Knot!" Marian yelled.

The Gible swung its stubby arms at the Togepi, slashing it. The Spike Ball Pokémon screamed its not-very-threatening scream and retaliated. Several long blades of grass whipped out of the ground and wrapped around the Gible, yanking it down. The Togepi dodged a second swipe and caused more grass to attack the Land Shark Pokémon. The Gible screeched and clawed the Togepi, sending it flying.

"Looks like you've lost," Warren smirked, watching as Marian recalled the unconscious Pokémon. "You won't have to pay up – this time…"

"Sorry, Warren," Marian whispered, "But I'm one step ahead of you. Go, Winger!" She shouted and threw out a second Poké ball, which released a Starly.

The tide of the battle turned in an instant. It was clear the Gible was Warren's only Pokémon, and its health was low from the fight with Marian's Togepi. I could tell from his colorless eyes growing big that Warren was panicking.

"Use Tackle!" Marian and Warren commanded together. The two Pokémon hit each other with enough force to send them crashing onto the pavement. The Starly hopped up, only slightly dazed, but the Gible remained mostly still.

"Looks like you've lost," Marian taunted as she picked up her Starly and put it on her shoulder. "You won't have to pay up – this time…" She turned and strode out the ring. Furious, Warren recalled his Gible and stalked off, headed for the Pokémon Center.

There was an awkward pause, and then Tim spoke. "Whoa."

"She's a really good battler," Jess said quickly. "I was grading our tests on battling for Mrs. Ray and she only missed one question, and that was more of a personal strategy that could be useful…"

Bob, who was generally considered a moron, broke out of the ring and started heading north. "I'm going to Jubilife TV," he announced, "And I'm gonna win the lottery. And then I'm going to be on TV, and I'm gonna be famous, and have a million Pokéyen. You'll see…"

"Bob's crazy," Jess commented, wagging her head. "I bet he'll be famous – for being the first person to fill their PC account entirely with Magikarp…" everybody laughed.

By now, the lights were beginning to come on at the Global Trade Station, transforming it into a glittering tower. As if in response, other lights began to come on in the buildings and streetlamps, their warm glow standing out against the steadily darkening Jubilife City.

A friendly flow of conversation spread among the new trainers as they talked. Luckily, most everyone had forgotten the Patsy-attack incident and left me alone.

"Too bad Fly's the fourth TM and not the first," Tim sighed wistfully. "That would make travel _so _much easier…"

"Yeah, but you could still only fly to places you'd been," Jess reminded him.

"Still…"

"How much do bikes cost, d'you suppose?" Evan asked another kid, Sue.

Sue let out a low whistle. "Lots, I bet. Either that or you can save the bike owner from Galactic Goons. Did ya hear 'bout that?"

"'Crazy Technicolor Spacemen Kidnap Bike Salesmen, Kid Saves Store Manager'. How could I ever forget that?" a boy chuckled.

Sue rolled her eyes. "I don't think it said _that, _Ken."

I decided to join into the babble, despite my mood. Turning to Terrence, I asked him, "So…gotten your Pokétch yet?"

Terrence had been, for a while, talking about getting a Pokétch once he became a trainer. He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah – I got it after school. Here!" he pulled back his sweater sleeve to show off a black Pokétch. The numbers on the green LCD screen read 19:57.

"Oh, Magikarp," I cursed.

"What?" Terrence asked, alarmed. "D'you not like it?"

"No – it's just – I forgot – I'm supposed to be back at my apartment in three minutes! Hey, Lee! We gotta go!"

Lee, who'd been chatting with two other kids despite them being three years his senior, looked disappointed. He followed me as I jogged down a side street.

"We're meeting at midnight in the Pokémon Center Plaza!" Evan shouted after me.

My family lives an apartment building in the southwestern corner of Jubilife. As I ducked into the building, breathless, I found myself face-to-face with my father.

"Kuroma! There you are!"

Kuroma is Dad's nickname for me. Everyone else calls me either Cyndi or, if they went to school with me, Cinders.

"Am I late?" I asked breathlessly, clutching a stitch in my side.

"No, you're just in time."

The three of us headed for the apartment, which was on the second floor.

"Kuroma, you never told me and your mother what you got for your starter today," Dad pointed out as we climbed the stairs. "What is it?"

My face flushed. Honestly, I felt kind of embarrassed about having Droplet. "Why does everyone want to know this?"

"It's a Piplup named Droplet," Lee informed his father. "I helped named him," he added proudly.

"A Piplup?" Dad smiled. "Nice one, Kuroma. My first Pokémon was a Squirtle named Jet."

Yes, that's right, guys. My dad, when he was a kid, was special enough to have a starter from a professor. Before he'd moved to Sinnoh, Dad had lived in Kanto.

"Yeah, well, I don't suppose Jet ever jumped in a fountain while you were standing near it, did he?"

Dad laughed slightly. "_That _would explain why you're kinda wet. You should change before you catch a cold."

I followed my brother and father into our apartment, feeling that my career as a trainer was off to a very rough start.

If you like this, please tell me. If there's something you don't like, please tell me. Flames will be laughed at.

Also, please take my survey!


	2. Chapter 2 At the Plaza

Chapter two: At the Plaza

Yay! Chapter two!

Please read and review guys. Feedback makes me happy. Concrit's the best kind. Go ahead, talk about what you don't like. I'll use it to improve the quality.

Still not Nintendo…

I didn't sleep very well that night – I never do when there's a lot on my mind – so I decided since I was missing sleep anyway, I might as well do something. Before midnight, I dressed quickly and slipped out of the apartment. I snuck out of the apartment building and stepped into the lamplit streets of Jubilife City.

I, of course, knowwhere the Pokémon Center was – I went there often when I was in school. I'd go there, watch the flow of trainers and do my homework. However, I'd never been to the Plaza below it, least of all at midnight. I knew that some of the kids, like Evan and Warren, had done this before – on a regular basis. Me, I don't want to get in trouble. But I'm a trainer, I'm old enough…

The Pokémon Center seemed to be sleeping when I entered it. There was no one in the main room, save for the nurse, who'd fallen asleep at her desk. I rode the escalator down to the blue-accented basement. Two of the clerks had also nodded off, but the young, blue-clad woman behind the desk for the Plaza was wide awake.

"Hello!" she called cheerily as I approached the desk nervously. "I don't suppose you're part of that big group of kids going into the Plaza tonight?"

I nodded, feeling a little better – at least the guys hadn't set up an elaborate prank. Smiling, the woman opened the gate and led me through an automated door. We traveled down a hallway before reaching a blinking warp tile. Nervously – I'd never used a warp tile – I stepped on it.

Instantly, it seemed, I was in a silvery-grey room lit with soft, comfortable light. I spotted a rotating statue of a pink, catlike Pokémon. A second woman, dressed in the same outfit, waved me over to a counter.

"Hi! Welcome to the Pokémon Center Plaza. Every guest is lent a Tap Toy. Here's yours!" she handed me a balloon with a start sticker on it. "By the way, what's your type today? You can choose to be up to two types."

I thought for a moment, trying to think of something really original. "Dragon and Electric."

The woman nodded energetically, scribbling on a sort of pass, which she handed to me. "We hope you enjoy your stay to the end!"

"Cinders! Oy! Over here!"

"Hey! Cinder's arrived!"

The Plaza was full of former classmates; only the Patsy cronies – a ring of Patsy and her closest friends – and an obnoxious boy named Emall Taketch that no one cares about were not present. Several of them were gathered by pavilions on the left side of the Plaza; others stood around billboards on the right side.

Terrence rushed up, holding two bottles of soda and grinning widely. "Hey, Cinders. Glad you could make it. What's your type?"

"Dragon and Electric. You?"

"Steel and Ghost. I notice we've both chosen types that no Pokémon discovered has."

"We're both weird like that."

Terrence laughed and handed me the second bottle. "Weird's fun, ain't it?" He led her into the Plaza, past Bob, who had been flying on a balloon and had gotten caught on a tail-shaped lamp. Warren, Tim, Evan and Ken were at one of the pavilions, while Jess pestered Marian about legendaries-knows-what.

"What are those?"

"Mm, what?" Terrence took a swig of soda. "Oh, those? Those are the Plaza Games. Wanna play Swalot Plop with me?"

"I don't know how."

"It's simple," Terrence explained. "At each booth there are four touch-screens and four screens for display. Each player stands at a touch screen and, using the stylus, flicks virtual berries into the Swalot on the screen's mouth. Berries are worth points. The person with the most points wins, and gets a Tap Toy upgrade. Should we do it?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

We headed to the game booth in the far upper left corner. Marian had escaped Jess and hung around the pavilion, watching us with her dark, sullen eyes.

"I don't 'spose you're here to play?" She asked as Terrence and I approached. "Not that I wouldn't mind a few more players. Can't play alone, I guess."

Terrence nodded, and the three of us gathered around the pavilion. Nervously, I picked up a stylus and stared at the blank screens.

"Hey, Marian. Why'd you challenge Warren earlier today?" Terrence asked casually as cheery music began to play.

"Because Warren's a jerk and he deserved it," Marian replied as the words SWALOT PLOP appeared on the screens. "It was very satisfying – so satisfied that I might have to make him my permanent rival." she sighed contentedly as a demo explaining how to flick berries played.

READY? The words appeared over a virtual Swalot. 3…2…1…GO!

I began brushing the stylus across the touch screen, regardless of if the rotating Pokémon was facing me or not. Brightly-colored berries flew pell-mell on the screens. Frankly, it didn't make much sense to me.

"You've always been pretty shy," Terrence pointed out.

"Yes, but things are different now." Marian yawned, mainly focusing on bombarding the Poison Bag Pokémon with red berries. "I didn't know…how good winning feels."

I glanced at her, feeling a little surprised. I didn't win much because I didn't really try…I wanted to ask her to describe how it felt to take someone's team down in a fight.

In the end, Marian won. I got third place, but not that I really cared. I wanted to talk to Terrence about something that had been on my mind.

The boy noticed my solemn face. "Cheer up, Cinders, we're trainers now! What is it?"

I took a deep breath. "Don't take this the wrong way, Terr. It's just, you've been my best friend since, what, second grade?"

Terrence nodded slowly. "…Yeah?"

"Um…err…I don't really trust Droplet to protect me or help me catch new Pokémon, so, um, this only can be for a little while, I know this will sound stupid…"

Terrence suddenly became very interested in getting the marble out of his soda bottle, as if he knew where this was going.

"You're going to ask to travel with me, aren't you?" he asked softly. In response, my face turned Chimchar red and stared at my sneakers.

He placed a hand on my shoulder, startling me. "Cyndi, I'd be glad to, but I can't – at least, for now. My cousins from Hoenn are coming to visit, and they won't be gone until Saturday…I'm sorry, Cyndi."

Despite the stunned feeling I felt, I tried to act casual. "I get that. Totally. Let's meet up in Oreburgh, okay?"

Terrence nodded, his usual good mood returning. "Yeah, Oreburgh. Definitely. Though I'd imagine you'd probably be long gone after getting the gym badge…"

I gave him a friendly shove. "Me? Get the badge that soon? C'mon, Terrence, I almost failed battling in school!"

"That's more like it! Let's enjoy this evening, eh?"

In a much better mood before, Terrence and I returned to the game booths for another game of Swalot Plop, this time against Warren and Evan. The third member of Warren's little group, Tim, watched Terrence and I keenly. Once the game ended (Terrence won), he strode over and began whispering to the two boys.

"Hey! Cinders!" Warren shouted.

Nervously, I joined the three boys. Pretending not to notice, Terrence busied himself in checking the Plaza News.

"What is it?" I demanded.

"Tim heard that you and Terrence aren't travelling together, like we thought you two would," Warren began airily. I scowled at Tim, who cringed. "Anyway, the three of us are sticking together – for now. Supposing you carried your own weight, we wouldn't mind a fourth member. We were planning to go in a group of four with Wesley – you 'member him –"

"I'm not a Magikarp," I pointed out, a little annoyed. Wesley was one of my classmates with a strange tendency to get headaches.

"Wesley left early," Warren continued if he hadn't heard. "We don't know why."

"We're meeting at ten tomorrow by Route 203," Evan added in a gentler voice. "If you show up, you can come along." The three boys turned and headed for the Mime Jr. Top booth.

"Did you hear what they wanted?" I asked Terrence as he returned from the Plaza News.

"Course I did. Will you?"

"On the way to Oreburgh, yes, but once you and I meet up again, I'm ditching them. Evan and Tim are okay, but Warren's a jerk."

"'Don't call people mean things, Cyndi!'" Warren shouted over his shoulder in a mock Patsy voice. Everyone in hearing range laughed.

"Good legendaries, I'm glad she's not here," Jess commented, leaving the Plaza Survey computer.

"Patsy will sneak out at midnight to go to the Pokémon Center Plaza with 'violent kids' when Snorlax fly," Evan joked.

By now, spotlights had come on, illuminating the Plaza. I noted that the lighting was slightly dimmer now. "How much longer do we have?"

"A little while longer," Terrence told me. "Anyone up for a game of Swalot Plop?"

Two games later (I won neither, in case you were wondering, but not that you were), the lights had definitely become dimmer. After a short while, sparklers came on, sending flecks of color through the room. There was a loud shriek from across the room; Bob, who'd been floating on his balloon, had flown through a sparkler. Several kids and the blue-clad staff members rushed to check on him.

Terrence sighed as they watched the commotion. "That's Bob for you. I hope whatever his starter is, it has enough brains to keep _him _safe." He held up his nearly-empty bottle of soda. "To trainerdom?"

I tapped mine against his. "To trainerdom." We both swallowed the last of our drinks.

The tension inside me was beginning to ease now. I felt entirely awake, full of the bright spirit emanating through the Plaza. I was definitely enjoying myself. But deep within, I still felt afraid and a bit sad. Sad because I'd be leaving my family, my home, almost my whole life up until this point behind, and afraid because my starter is crazy. I knew I could stay in Jubilife City for a little longer, but I'd been waiting to leave for ages. I'm kind of a restless person, and being on the move sounded appealing. Nothing – not Terrence, not Droplet – would keep me back now.

"The floats are coming!" Warren shouted.

The formerly still moving walkway in the back had come to life. Bright pink floats in the shape of a kitten-like Pokémon paraded down the walkway. Kids began abandoning what they were doing and jumping onto the floats, bouncing up and down to make them shake and laughing. Terrence grinned at me. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

The two of us strode up to the conveyer. As a pink float drew closer, Terrence winked at me. "3…2…1…"

We leapt onto the float as it past. It was far more dramatic than necessary, but I didn't care. The float rattled as we landed, bouncing up and down on the track. As we steadily drew closer to a large, dark tunnel leading out of the Plaza, Terrence sat down, laughing.

"My dad's going to kill me if he finds out about this," I commented.

Terrence casually leaned against the back of the float. "You've got that Piplup to defend you, remember?"

I rolled my eyes. "Droplet? Against my dad's Raichu? No thanks."

We slipped into the tunnel, leaving the fading lights of the Plaza behind. As we rode in darkness, I glanced at the glowing screen of Terrence's Pokétch. "Holy Tauros! 24:35? I better get back, before my parents notice! I hope Lee didn't rat on me…"

A warm, cheery woman's voice came over the loudspeaker as they approached the lights at the end of the tunnel. "Good evening, everyone! I hope you enjoyed your visit to the Pokémon Center Plaza. In just a few moments, you'll be arriving in the Jubilife City Pokémon Center! When you enter the Plaza, please step onto the moving walkway. We hope you enjoyed your time here. Bye!"

The floats slid into the same room as the warp tiles, moving steadily next to a moving walkway. Along with the rest of the kids, Terrence and I stepped off the floats, letting them slide back down another black tunnel. We rode the walkway back to the basement, where the remaining staff member who was awake waved us off.

As I stepped out, through the motion-activated glass door, a blast of cool summer-night air greeted me. Even in the darkness, light shone everywhere – street lamps, windows, what stars in the city and the large, almost full moon. As I stared at the large white orb, a lonely cry pierced the night air. A bird, with a single figure on its back, swooped across the moon, silhouetted against the brilliance.

"That'll be us someday," Terrence spoke softly. I jumped; I hadn't realized he was there.

"Yeah," I whispered. "Someday, it will be us."

…that chapter was kind of filler. Oh well. I might've dropped a couple of meaningful names in it, thought…

If you like, please review. If you don't like, still tell me. If you flame me, I will laugh at your flaming and save it for my own entertainment. You have been warned.


	3. Chapter 3 Black and Gold

Chapter three: black and gold

Please read and review. It makes me happy. Yes, that means concrit! You know, ACTUAL FEEDBACK?

Sorry. I'm just a little mad about the lack of helpful reviews.

Disclaimer: I did not create Pokémon, though that would be very awesome.

Also, warning: this chapter is kind of long

That night, I was dreaming that Lee, Terrence, Patsy and I were riding on a Mew float down the streets of Jubilife. The float was pulled by giant Krabbies (I have had an alarming number of dreams about giant Krabbies). Patsy was singing a song from the stupid school play.

_I wake up in the morning_

_And look up at the sky_

_It is turning crimson_

_As the birds go by_

_I stand up and look out_

_And start to sing my song_

_It is time to hit the road_

_I've been here too long_

I twisted and turned in my sleep. For some reason, Patsy was growing louder while the rest of the dream was fading away.

_Sunrise over Sinnoh_

_Dawning of the day_

_Time to get and_

_To be upon my way_

Groaning, I opened one eye, looking at the digital clock, which read 6:09. A jolt went through me, and I climbed out of bed and stumbled to the window, which I opened.

_Drapion at daybreak_

_Floatzel at first light_

_Staravias and Bidoofs_

_At the end of night_

_As the world comes to life_

_I wander down the trail_

_More adventure's starting_

_And I am on its tail_

"Patsy Rose, what in the name of the legendaries of matter, spirit, and mind are you doing?" I demanded.

Patsy stopped singing and smiled up at me. "Hello, Cyndi! I just thought everyone would like something nice to wake up to." She surveyed the annoyed me glaring down at her. "You're still in your pajamas, I might add. Shouldn't you be getting dressed?"

"Patsy," I pointed out weakly, "It's six in the morning!"

"Well, like the song says," she resumed singing.

_Sunrise over Sinnoh_

_Dawning of the day_

_Time to get and_

_To be upon my way_

Sighing, I closed the window and turned around to see Lee, who shares my room, wide awake.

"What was that?" he asked, clutching Snorky Bob, his toy Snorlax.

"Just someone who's totally insane," I replied. "Go back to sleep, we've got about an hour before we should get up…" I settled back down on my bed, consciously aware that I wouldn't be sleeping in it again for a while.

"Cynd," Lee said very suddenly, "Do you have any potions?"

Caught off guard, I stared at him. "Wha? Potions?"

"Or Poké balls," Lee continued. "You're going to need those. Do you have any?"

"Oh good legendaries…" I slapped my hand to my forehead. "I should've gotten some when I was out last night!"

"So you went to the Plaza?" Lee accused.

"No! I mean…when I was out with you. Blast, I even had my money with me…"

The door to our room opened. Mom stood in it, wearing a bathrobe, her Dustox at her shoulder, looking slightly cross. "What's all this commotion?"

"Mom, can I go out and get some stuff from the Pokémart?" I asked, reaching for my sneakers.

Mom gave me a funny look. "Oh for the legendary's sake, it's six in the morning! But if you really want to, I guess…at least get dressed and shower, though. And remember, we're all going out for breakfast at eight…" Mom turned and left the room.

After I'd quickly showered and dressed, I left the apartment building and headed for the city's Pokémart. Lee tagged along, carrying Snorky Bob under one arm. Since it was about six in the morning, the streets were almost empty, save the occasional jogger or early-morning trainer.

"Excuse me, can I ask you a few questions?"

I turned to see a girl wearing a buff shirt and navy blue skirt strolling towards me. She was carrying a clipboard and chewing absentmindedly on a pen. She looked my age, maybe a little older, and rather tired. A Pachirisu was curled around her neck, snoring softly.

"Uh, sure," I replied, wondering who on earth takes surveys at six in the morning. Then again, from the looks of it, she'd been asking around since three.

"Okay. If you had to choose one of these Pokémon which would you choose – Chimchar, Piplup or Turtwig?"

I looked her over. She didn't look like she was working for a lab…"Well, probably Chimchar, but I've got a Piplup."

The girl made a note on her clipboard. "Which of these Pokémon would you choose – Pikachu, Clefairy or Aipom?"

I wanted to say none of the above (a purple monkey, a stupid pink thing or an electric rat? really guys), but I settled with Pikachu. This seemed satisfactory.

"How about these – Chancey, Magmar or Lucario?"

"Lucario, easily!" At the time, I didn't know much about the mysterious Fighting-Type, other than they're really awesome looking. Now, however…

The girl frowned and scribbled something on her clipboard. "Well, anyway, thank you for participating in this survey. Here's your complimentary prize!" she handed me a Poké ball. It was an ordinary Poké ball, except for the fact that the part that should be red was fluorescent pink.

"I hope you catch something good with that Poké ball," the girl commented before turning and walking away.

"Bleh," I murmured, jamming the ball in my shorts pocket. "I'll save that if I ever catch something stupid and pink…" I stepped into the Pokémart for my shopping.

The place was never empty; even now, a couple of kids stalked among the shelves. I used my money to buy five Poké balls and five Potions, while Lee gazed in wonder at a large glass bowl of candy. "Cyndi, will you buy me some candy?"

"No, I just used up my money on that stuff." (This wasn't entirely true, as I had some at home, but it was as much as I had on me at the time. Besides, I am _not_ buying my little brother candy at six thirty in the morning.)

We left the store.

"Cyndi, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah…?"

"Will you come to visit?"

"Sure I will."

"When you do, will you play with me and Snorky Bob?"

Before I could answer him yes, why wouldn't I, a boy interrupted me. "Excuse me, may I ask you a few questions?"

The boy was, like the girl, dressed in buff and blue and armed with a clipboard. A Bonsly tottered around his ankles, looking half-asleep. "What Pokémon are you currently travelling with?" He asked, pen poised.

"Just a Piplup, for now."

He smiled weakly. "Ah! A Piplup." He seemed pleased as he scribbled something down. "Good choice for a girl like you!"

"I didn't choose him because I'm a girl." I shot back. "I chose him because someone said that he'd grow as hardened as time."

The boy frowned. "Hmmm…you know, you shouldn't choose your Pokémon merely because of power. What if it's a bad Pokémon, or a Pokémon that's too powerful for you?"

I ignored him. What on earth was he talking about?

"Okay…" the boy said, looking concerned. "But do be careful when you catch your Pokémon. If you're not careful…" He strolled off.

"What's with these weirdoes?" I asked myself.

"I've seen 'em before," Lee commented.

"Wah? Where?"

Lee pursed his lips as he thought. "Well, two of them were at school. They were too old to be students – maybe older than you, Cyndi. There was a girl and a boy, and they was dressed like that. They were asking the third graders to be good egg-zamples for us."

"Anything else?"

Lee shook his head. We entered the apartment building and headed back to their apartment. Lights on in the bathroom and parent's room told me that the rest of our family was awake.

"I wonder what they're up to," I commented as I picked up my school backpack and dumped its contents of old worksheets and pencils onto the floor, which I kicked under the bed.

"Maybe they're a club," Lee suggested, watching me as I began to pack. "Anyway, will you play with me and Snorky Bob?"

"Of course!"

"Can we do it now?" Lee asked eagerly, clutching Snorky Bob.

"I'm busy, but I guess Droplet can, if you like freaks." I picked the Poké ball off the nightstand and released the Piplup, who hopped off my bed and began running around the room. Excited, Lee dragged the toy Snorlax after him. Droplet spotted Snorky Bob, shrieked, and shot under my bed.

"I wanted to play trainer with him," Lee explained apologetically as I dove under the bed and emerged clutching my starter.

I dropped the Piplup on Lee's bed. "If you can't stay still, I'm going to put you away and leave you home," I hissed to him, aware of the fact that Droplet probably didn't understand me at all.

Miraculously, Lee (and Snorky Bob) entertained Droplet long enough for me to finish packing. I'd just zipped it shut when I heard Lee yelp – Droplet had bitten him.

"Bad Piplup," I growled, recalling Droplet to his Poké ball, which I tucked a hip pouch that already contained my Dex. "You alright, Lee?"

Lee examined his arm."Yeah."

I checked the clock – 6:54. "I'm going to get some sleep," I yawned, pushing the backpack off my bed and kicking my shoes off.

Almost instantly, it seemed, Lee was shaking me awake. "Cynddddi! Wake up!"

I yawned, opened my eyes, and sat up. The clock read 7:53. What had Mom said…? Breakfast at eight?

"Oh, Magikarp," I cursed, hurriedly putting my shoes on and running a comb through my now-messy brown hair.

"Kuroma, relax," Dad called, entering the room. His Raichu, Lightning was riding on his shoulder. "There's no time limit anymore. You're no longer in school. You don't have to worry about being late."

The restaurant was only a block away, so we walked to it under the grey morning sky. My parents had their Raichu and Dustox out with them. I, on the other hand, wasn't going to walk a Pokémon until I'd caught one which wasn't hyperactive. Lee had Snorky Bob with him. Lee _always _had Snorky Bob with him.

"I didn't know you liked coffee," Mom commented after the drinks arrived.

I looked up from my drink, which I was drowning in sugar. "Only if there's lots of sugar. Why doesn't anyone know this stuff?"

"Because you don't want us to see you do _anything_," Dad pointed out. "I don't know when the last time I saw you eating breakfast on a weekday was."

I shrugged and took a sip of coffee. "I'm just nervous, that's all."

"Are you nerve-us about being a trainer?" Lee asked.

I didn't want to admit it, but I was. I kept my response to another shrug and sip of sugared coffee.

"What are you gonna catch?" Lee continued to chatter as he scribbled on the kids' menu with a red crayon.

"Pokémon like Bidoof, Shinx, Kriketot and Starly can generally be found outside Jubilife," I muttered. "Holy Magikarp, did I just recite that from my textbook?"

"We need to get you some new reading material," Mom teased.

"Pip!" a voice whistled next to me.

"Oh good legendaries," I exclaimed, exasperated, "How'd you get out?" I looked down to see Droplet on the seat next to me. He jumped onto my lap and began eyeing my coffee.

"Awwwwww," Mom sighed. "He's so _cute!"_

I found that remark a bit odd coming from a woman who'd never used a Pokémon that wasn't at least part Poison-Type.

"He'd be cuter if he wasn't so hyper," I pointed out, pulling out Droplet's Poké ball. "Get _back, _Droplet." Droplet gave me the sad-Pikachu face before transforming into energy and returning to the Poké ball.

"Must've smelled the food," Dad commented, indicating one of the waiters, who was approaching us with a loaded tray of food.

Halfway through the meal, Lee asked, "Dad, who are those people in yellow and blue?"

"Excuse me?"

I tried to explain. "When we were out earlier, there were these people in yellow – I'd guess you'd say buff – and dark blue going around, asking questions. The first one gave me three sets of Pokémon, and told me to choose one from each set. The second one wanted to know which Pokémon were travelling with me. Lee says he's seen them before."

Dad thought, absentmindedly stroking Lightning. "Y'know, come to think of it, I've seen them too. Just walking around, sometimes talking to kids, never actually doing anything…HEY!" Lightning had just shocked him, probably for its own entertainment.

"Lee, you can remember seeing those people before?" Mom asked, while her husband berated his Raichu, who gave him the sad-Pikachu face. She absentmindedly started playing with her dagger.

"Mom, put that away, you'll get in trouble," I hissed.

"Just playing with it," she murmured softly, returning it to her sheath. Mom's from Fuchsia, in Kanto, and has a big interest in bladed weapons and stealth.

Lee shrugged. "I dunno. I just do. Cyndi, why don't you have Droplet out with you? Mommy and Daddy have Dusky and Lightning out with them."

"Because Droplet would cause trouble, that's why," I replied grumpily.

"I think he's funny," Lee told me happily. "I hope when I'm a trainer, my starter's as funny as yours. Or at least one of my Pokémon." He resumed dismembering his toast with his fork.

"Are you packed, Cynd?" Mom asked me.

I nodded and held up my now-full backpack. "I hope I don't forget anything. I went through it twice already."

"Cyndi, Cyndi, you'll never stop worrying," my mother admonished. "I hope you have a bit of spare room in there, though. I have something for you."

She reached into her purse and pulled out a small parcel wrapped in brown paper, which she passed to me. I tore away the wrapping to find –

"A seal case? Thanks, Mom!"

"Maybe you can use it to pretty up your Piplup," her mother commented as I zipped open my backpack and slipped the case in between my jacket and pajamas. "If you're into that sort of thing," she added teasingly.

"I have something for you too," Dad added, reaching into his jacket pocket. He passed me a small notebook, which I opened and flipped through. Most of the pages were blank; however, once I reached the back, I found several pages that looked like they'd been photocopied out of another notebook and taped in. Situated among my dad's scrawling handwriting were various drawings of Pokémon, mostly from the Kanto region, and several items – a Master Ball, running shoes, what looked like a damaged bike. The final page contained a chart, showing the matchups of all seventeen elemental types against each other.

"Those last few pages are entries from my old notebook, when I was your age in Kanto," he explained quietly. "I hope you like it."

"Like it? Like it? This is awesome. Thanks, dad." I tucked the notebook in a side pouch. "What time is it?"

Dad checked his watch. "8:43. You're not trying to rush again, are you?"

"No, but…" I explained to my parents how Evan and his group had told me I could travel with them, and we were meeting at 10.

"What about that Terrence friend of yours?" Mom teased.

I scowled. Mom was convinced that Terrence and I were boyfriend and girlfriend, which was entirely untrue. We'd just known each other for a while, and had been friends since second grade. "He's not leaving yet – some family's visiting and he's staying a bit longer."

Mom shrugged. "Well, if you feel its best that you travel in a group, I guess you should."

"I _have _to," I insisted. "For now, anyway."

Dad fixed me with a strange look. "You doubt Droplet, don't you?"

I shrugged, knowing that if I openly admitted it, I'd probably get treated to a Pokémon-are-your-greatest-advantage-in-life-and-your-best-friends lecture. Rawr.

Luckily, my dad's not exactly that person. Most hunters aren't.

"Kuroma, he's not _that _bad – Piplups wouldn't be given out by Professor Rowan if they were."

"The only reason Professor Rowan gives them out is because they can only be caught by starthunters," I muttered sulkily, wishing I'd never tried to get the Pokémon as hardened as time.

"I thought you liked rare stuff," Mom piped up. "You've been drawing stuff that's not common for months."

"I like rare stuff that's _powerful. _If Magikarp were rare, I wouldn't want them."

"That's harsh, comparing a Piplup to a Magikarp," Dad said sharply.

"Why, because he's been assigned to be my best friend now?" I shot back.

Dad sighed. Sometimes I feel bad for him for having to put up with me. "Kuroma, do you know what the final evolution of the Piplup family is?"

"Empoleon, yes…?"

"Maybe you should do some research while you're travelling. Find out about those before you start doubting you're starter."

I pretty much ignored him. Even if Piplups didn't evolve into anything super-powerful, I'd force Droplet to evolve, even if he didn't want to (not that I see why he wouldn't. If he would become powerful, why would he want to hang back?). Maybe evolution would make him a bit less of a troublemaker.

"If everyone's finished," Mom suggested cheerfully, "Maybe we should go for a walk. I imagine it'll be a bit of a while before you see this place again, Cyndi."

We all agreed on this plan, so after paying, we left the restaurant. As we walked around the city where I'd spent my entire life, my parents were surprisingly happy, seeing that their firstborn was leaving soon.

"If there was a Poison-Type Eeveelution, would you get it?" Dad asked his wife. I noticed they were holding hands.

She laughed. "Maybe, but I'd feel bad about having to put up with a Normal-Type for a while, you know!"

"Maybe you should get an Eevee," Lee suggested to me. "Daddy's got an Eevee that's now a Flare-e-on, and Mummy would but you know her thing with non poisony types."

"Well, Terrence has a female Eevee," I told him. "Maybe if he ever breeds her, I'll ask him. But I won't force him. She's not my Eevee, after all."

"Are you going to collect badges? You should, it can't be too hard!"

"Yeah…mainly for the permission to use HMs, though. I get this strange feeling there's something else I should be doing, but I don't know what, other than it's not coordination."

"Maybe you could be a gym leader!"

"What would I train? I don't think I'd like only being able to use one type. Anyway, I'm not a very good battler, so why would the League choose me?"

"Maybe you could be what Daddy used to be. Y'know, a person who catches starters?"

"Satoshi Kapter?" I asked incredulously, referring to the idiot TV character with a bizarre tendency to find starters in the wild.

"No! A-" Lee struggled to remember the name. "Starthunter."

Starthunters were special trainers that caught Pokémon for other people to use as starters. They were expert trackers, as they often caught Pokémon so rare that Dexes didn't list their location – namely, regional starters.

"I've never tracked a Pokémon before," I pointed out, "And you have to be a really good tracker to even be _considered _for becoming an official one. I'll think about it, though."

I decided I was going crazy; I was in a good enough mood I let Droplet out of his Poké ball. I picked up the small Pokémon and set him on my shoulder; he was a bit heavy, but he seemed pretty comfortable. He nibbled my ear in what he probably felt was a sign of affection. I can't say I liked it too much.

"Maybe you should try and catch a legendary," Lee added as we passed the Global Terminal. "_Then_ you'd be powerful. Not a really big legendary," he added, noticing the look on my face, "But maybe something like Shaymin."

"How do you know about Shaymin?"

"Mrs. Jade told us about how Shaymin made the flowers bloom in Floaroma Town once. She even told us how Gray-sid-e-as can make a Shaymin fly! She doesn't believe that Shaymin is real," Lee replied. "But I believe that Shaymin is real. Do you, Cyndi?"

"I don't know," I told him. "I don't think that Shaymin doesn't exist, but I don't think I'll ever see one…"

"Anyway, if you do catch any legendaries," Lee continued, "Don't catch the really big ones, the ones that there are only one of and control the universe. They'd probably get mad and sit on you."

"I'll keep that in mind," I laughed as we passed the Trainer's School. The sign displayed the message:

HAVE A NICE SUMMR! CONGRATS TO NEW TRAINRS!

The sign's not very big, as you might notice.

Droplet hopped off my shoulder and ran down the road, chittering. Sighing, I chased after the little Penguin Pokémon as he scampered behind a trash can. I ducked down to retrieve him.

A snarl tore the air, and Droplet ran towards me, wailing. Chasing him was a furiously growling Vulpix. Droplet jumped into my arms as I backed away slowly, apprehension growing in me.

"Oh, hi, Cinders. Sorry; I didn't realize that was you."

Terrence stepped out of the shadows, Flinch the Eevee at his heels.

I laughed, trying to not look like a total idiot for freaking out. "Hi. Where'd you get the Vulpix?"

"Oh, Crispin? Remember those cousins I mentioned to you earlier? One of them's a breeder, and he said I could raise him. Vulpixes aren't native to Sinnoh, but there's no law against it."

"First an Eevee, now a Vulpix. How many foxes can you have?"

Terrence shrugged. "Anyway…I s'pose you're leaving soon?"

"Soon. What's the time?"

He glanced at his Pokétch. "Nine and one minute. You're going to leave at ten with Evan and Warren and Tim, right?"

"I hope you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind. I'm practically the only person you hang out with anyway. Besides, we'll see each other soon, won't we?"

"We'll see each other in Oreburgh."

"Cyndi?" my mom's voice called from a little way's away.

Terrence gave me a hug; I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't feel embarrassed at all. "I'll catch you later, Cinders."

"I'll catch you later, Terr. Bye." I turned and caught up with my family, who were looking for me near the Pokémon Center.

"Kuroma, where were you?" Dad asked, looking slightly worried.

"Droplet just ran off, and I had to chase him down," I explained, setting the little Pokémon on my shoulder.

"I thought you didn't like Droplet," Mom pointed out.

"He's my only Pokémon!" I protested. "I'm not going anywhere if he runs off!"

"You there, stop right there!"

I spun around. Six people, clad in black, drew near us. They all wore scarves pulled up over their mouths and dark sunglasses, as if to hide their identities.

"They look scary," Lee whispered.

"Overly scary," I muttered. To me, they were kind of overdoing the whole evil look.

"What do you want?" Dad demanded, a fierce quality in his voice that wasn't there normally.

"We want to battle," the leader, who appeared to be a girl in her late teenage years, replied in a sneer. She stepped forward, toying with a Dusk Ball. "Our blood boils. Our Pokémon are weapons like no other. We want to battle!"

"You'll have your battle." Lightning hopped off his trainer's shoulder, while Dusky, my mom's Dustox, fluttered to the group. "Kuroma, Lee, get out of here," he added in a whisper. "I don't trust these guys."

"Nice Raichu," the leader smirked. "So powerful…so aggressive…not anything like its pathetic pre-evolutions. Maybe I should get one." She called out a Weavile.

"And I like your Dustox," a boy her age added, stepping up to face Mom. An Umbreon stood at his side. "So poisonous…" He flicked his hand casually, and it charged Dusky. The Weavile shot towards Lightning, and two of the black-clad teens began to edge towards Lee and I.

"Kuroma, Lee, run!" Dad shouted. I didn't hesitate; I turned and sprinted towards the exit out of Jubilife, Lee at my heels. I glanced over my shoulder; the two were following us.

"Lee!" I gasped, pointing at an apartment building."Get in – there!" Without a hesitant, he ducked inside. Knowing that I couldn't keep running, I turned to face the two dark trainers. "Droplet, brace yourself!" I ordered, feeling an adrenaline rush. _So this is what trainers who battle a lot feel…_I set my starter on the pavement in front of me.

"Oh, yeah!" one of the trainers sang. "Battle time! Go, Stunky!"

"Go, Houndour!" the second one added. The said Dark types appeared.

"Droplet, use Pound!" I commanded, a sort of authority I hadn't felt before flowing through me. _So this is Pokémon battling…so this is power. _The little penguin tottered forward.

"Use Crunch, Stunky!"

"Use Dark Pulse, Houndoor!"

The Stunky snapped its jaws together – and missed Droplet altogether, who slammed it with his head. The Houndoor seemed more interested in sniffing a garbage bag sitting in the alley than obeying its trainer.

_Odd, _I thought. _Crunch doesn't normally miss, and Droplet hasn't done anything to effect accuracy or evasiveness…_ "Use Pound on the Stunky."

Droplet ignored me. Instead, he opened his beak and shot two narrow streams of bubbles at the Houndour and the Stunky Much to my growing surprise, the former fainted, but the Poison-type dodged easily.

_These are teenagers…they should have more experience and more powerful Pokémon than a rookie like me…unless their team's more for show than actual battling…where did Droplet learn Bubble…why did it hit only one of them…and how did Crunch miss?_

"Ah, man," the guy whined. "I thought my Pokémon was powerful…more powerful than a pathetic Piplup…"

"Actually," I admitted, "I thought that too."

The trainer seemed caught off guard. "Really? How long have you had him?"

"Under twenty-four hours."

"You want my advice?" the trainer with the Stunky suggested. "Evolve him. Empoleons can get wicked mean, but dang, they're powerful. In fact, they've been compared to the le-"

"Get away from her!"

A boy – alarmingly clad in buff and navy – raced down the alleyway, a Chimchar perched on his shoulder. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Battling this trainer and giving her advice," the Houndoor trainer wheedled.

"You want some advice?" his friend told the boy. "Evolve that monkey. Fightin's easy, and Infernapes-"

"Be quiet," the boy snapped. "If I evolved my Chimchar, he'd become too powerful for me. I don't want that. I like him the way he is. Now leave her alone and get out of here."

Sulking, the two trainers left. The boy strolled up to me, trying to act casual and confident. "Hello, there. Were they giving you trouble? Those people always are," he continued as I opened my mouth to tell them they actually weren't. "They're ruthless, cruel, hot-blooded trainers who defy everything proper. They think appropriateness is just a game and the rules are just guidelines!"

"What rules?" I asked, confused. I'd never heard anyone at school or home mention rules about being a trainer, other than the eye contact one.

"There are subtle rules to being a trainer, you know, and they ought to be obeyed," the boy explained.

"Like eye contact means battle?"

The boy sighed. "Many people believe that that is a rule of training Pokémon, and yet it is not. You and I, for example, have made eye contact, and we are not fighting."

"We can," I suggested, indicating Droplet, who was currently nibbling on my sock.

The boy shook his head. "Save your efforts for a different cause. Besides, your Piplup must be worn out from fighting those villains. Can I direct you to the hospital?"

"Thanks…but this is my home city."

The boy was taken aback. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that. I was merely trying to be helpful. Is there any way I may assist you?"

The door to the nearest apartment building opened, and Lee emerged, dragging Snorky Bob. "Is it safe, Cyndi?"

"I'll leave now," the mysterious boy said, bowing slightly. He turned and strode out of the alley. His Pikachu waved at Droplet, who bristled with indignation.

"Is it safe, Cyndi?" Lee repeated, clutching at me sleeve.

"I think so," I told him. The two of us headed down the alley, and back onto the main streets of Jubilife.

Five yellow-and-blue clad trainers stood in our way, facing off against an equal number of dark trainers. Dark types and Poison type clashed against electric rodents and unevolved Normal-types, cracking the pavement with their intensity. We edged past the fray onto the main street leading north to south through Jubilife. Two dark-clad trainers prowled the area, and my parents were nowhere to be seen.

I took a deep breath. This was not how I'd wanted to say goodbye. "Lee," I ordered. "Get back home as fast as you can, and don't leave until Mummy and Daddy come back. Go the straightest route you possibly, can but stay out of trouble. Good luck." I gave him a big, fierce Ursaring hug.

Lee turned and ducked down a path between two buildings, calling, "Bye, Cyndi! I'll see you later! Come and visit us anytime! Snorky Bob and I will wait for you! Bye! See ya!"

"Catch you later!' I shouted after him.

"Cute."

"Hello, Warren," I spoke, not turning around.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," Tim said nervously. "This place on its way to being a war zone. Those Darkstormers look pretty scary."

"Darkstormers?" I asked as we headed for the road out of the city to the east.

"The crazy people," Warren pointed out, as if that explained everything.

"Which ones?"

"Team Galactic, of course," Warren snapped, as if exasperated that anyone could be so thick. "Those people in black, dur."

We passed several skirmishes as they reached the edge of town. I spotted two former classmates fighting a 'Darkstormer'. A Snorunt and a Munchlax were fighting an Absol.

"D'you suppose they'll be able to win?" Tim asked nervously, glancing at them.

"That Absol's not obeying its trainer," Evan pointed out. The Dark-type seemed more concerned in fleeing than fighting. Its trainer shouted at it angrily. "You stupid Pokémon, stand and fight!"

A yellow-and-blue-clad raced for the Darkstormer, an Aipom accompanying him.

"You wish!" a voice shouted. A teenager intercepted them. She wasn't in a uniform, so. By her side was a beautiful Pokémon with thick black and blue fur, with a star-tailed end.

"That's Luxio, the final evolution of Shinx, right?" I asked, pulling out my Dex and pointing it at the creature.

"No," Evan replied. "Lux_ray, _Luxio's evolution."

"Luxray," I whispered, savoring the taste of the word. "Luxray." I watched as the Luxray, sparkling with electricity, struck out against the Aipom, which it easily swept away. The creature then turned on the Absol, striking it down with a bolt of light.

"C'mon, let's get out of here," Warren pointed out.

The route leading east looked small and barren when framed by the tall buildings of Jubilife. Thick clumps of grass dotted it, sometimes even growing over the rough dirt road. We'd all been to the edges of the city before – children went their all the time to play where the skyscrapers wouldn't loom over them. Sometimes, brave ones would step out of the city, but even they didn't dare to enter the tall grass.

"Okay, gang," Warren declared in his usual cocky manner. "Spread out. Catch some Pokémon if you want, train a bit, maybe fight a trainer if you run into one." He headed for the tall grass. The group dissolved as Evan, then Tim, slipped into the tall, willowy grass. I shrugged and headed into a different patch than the boys had. Droplet squawked in anticipation before running off into the tall grass. I tore after him to find him face-to-face with a Shinx.

_That's Luxio, the final evolution of Shinx, right?_

_ No. Luxray, Luxio's evolution._

_ Luxray._

_ Luxray._

Feeling a rush, I commanded, "Droplet, use Pound!" as my starter struck, I dug in my backpack until I found a Poké ball. The Shinx glared at Droplet, who took a step back, quaking. I noted that the Shinx's back paws were black; it was a male.

Rather than order Droplet to resume his attack, I hurled the Poké ball at the Shinx. It opened, sucking the small electric-type into it. The ball dropped to the ground, shook three times, and to my amazement, clicked, officially catching the Shinx.

I slipped out of the grass, elated, and sat down by the side of the road before releasing my first catch. _My first catch. _Not only was this my first capture, but it was a Pokémon that would evolve into something completely awesome. The Shinx eyed me cautiously and began washing himself.

"You need a name," I thought out loud. My mind drifted to the dark-furred Pokémon I'd seen earlier that morning. "I'll name you…Night. You may not have really dark fur yet," I added, "But you will."

I was in a good mood. My first full battle and my first capture had gone equally well. It wasn't too warm, due to the thick clouds above, but it wasn't cold, and Droplet had even worn himself out. He flopped down in the shade of a rock, panting. Cautiously, I reached out and ran my hand through Night's fur. As I did so, static electricity jolted through the hairs – not as nearly as much electricity as I got when I touched Dad's Raichu, but enough to give me a start. Purring, Night rested his head on my lap as I stroked him. He didn't even notice when I used one of my potions on the large bruise caused by Droplet's head.

A sound like a mallet running down a xylophone caught my attention. I thought I caught a glimpse of a small red Pokémon tottering through the grass. I smiled. I'd caught one Pokémon – how could another one hurt?

"Night, what moves do you know?" I asked quietly.

Night glowered at an invisible foe before using a similar attack to the one Flinch had used on Droplet the night before.

_So he knows Leer and Tackle, _I decided. _That's the best I can hope for now…wait, how does he understand me?_

I recalled a reluctant Droplet, and set off after the bug with Night.

I heard the xylophone sound again, and spotted my target. "Night," I ordered quietly, "Use Tackle!"

Night darted forward and pounced on the Kriketot, which glowed, gathering energy.

_It's Biding, _I realized. _The time between now and when it attacks Night, which could easily faint him, is the time I have to catch it. _I took out a Poké ball and hurled at the Kriketot, causing Night to leap out of the way. The Poké ball drew the Kriketot in, shook twice, and then burst, shattering into white-and-red plastic fragments. The bug emerged, glowing angrily and ready to use Bide.

I threw out another Poké ball. This time, luckily, it stayed in the Poké ball long enough for the device to click shut. I gathered up the fragments of the destroyed Poké ball and slipped the one containing the Kriketot into my bag.

I decided to name the Kriketot Metronome. I considered walking him for a moment, but decided I liked using Night more. He was a nice break from Droplet.

Night and I continued through the grass until a Bidoof sprang out, growling in its wheezy voice. I had no desire to put up with the Plump Mouse Pokémon, so ordered Night to take it out with Tackle. Night quickly accomplished this task, and the Bidoof fled, squealing.

I glanced at the sky. A flock of Starlies fluttered overhead. Grey clouds were gathering, transforming the sun into a shining white circle in the sky. I thought I heard a faint rumble of thunder.

"Cinders!" Warren shouted. "Hurry up and catch up, or we'll leave you behind!"

I found the three boys standing at a point in the road where tall grass choked it. Evan was admiring a Starly he had caught, while Warren's Gible toddled around her trainer's feet.

"What is it?" I demanded.

"Storm's rolling in," Warren pointed out the obvious. "Let's see if we can't reach the Oreburgh gate before dusk. We'll be able to get some rest there."

I followed them as they slipped through the segment of tall grass without too much incident (Tim was attacked by a Bidoof, but that happens to everyone at some point). Once on the other side, we continued along before having to traverse another patch of grass. This time, a Bidoof attacked Evan, which he chased off with his Starly.

"Is it just me, or is a Bidoof swarm today?" Tim asked as another Bidoof sprang out. Night intercepted and attacked it.

"It's always a Bidoof swarm out here," Warren reminded him. "Pathetic things," he added, scowling in contempt at the shape of a fleeing Plump Mouse Pokémon.

"Shh," Evan hissed. "What if the Patsy cronies hear you?"

He pointed at a group of five girls not too far in front of us.

"What are they doing?" I asked, playing with one of my Poké balls. "You know they aren't in'trested with badges."

"They're sightseeing, or something," Evan replied.

As the sky darkened overheard, we stopped for lunch. I reached into my bag, planning to have some of the snacks I'd packed, but Tim stopped me.

"Why?"

Tim blushed slightly. "My mom's crazy. She heard that the three of you were travelling with me, so she packed some sandwiches for you. Just for one meal, though." He handed out several sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap. Night, the Starly, and Warren's Gible headed out into the grass.

"Hey – Night! Where are you going?"

"Probably out to hunt," Evan pointed out before taking a bite of the sandwich he was eating. "Don't worry – they'll be back."

All throughout lunch, I felt worried that Night would run away, but sure enough, as I finished my sandwich, the Shinx returned. Something was stuck in his fur; I removed it, which turned out to be a Starly feather.

"I hope something didn't eat your Starly, Evan," I pointed out nervously.

"Oh, Sammy? Don't worry; she can take care of herself."

Soon after, the Starly and Gible returned with no signs of injury. The Starly, Sammy, was chewing on what looked suspiciously like a Kriketot's antennae.

"Maybe I should start feeding Night myself," I pointed out, feeling a bit queasy.

"Don't worry, from what I heard, predatory Pokémon only hunt every so often," Evan pointed out, stroking his Starly.

Something was still bugging me, though. "Why'd Night return to me?"

"He must like you," Tim suggested. "How long have you had him?"

"Only for an hour at most."

"He hasn't disobeyed you yet, has he?"

"No."

"He must trust you, then," Tim finished.

Warren raised an eyebrow. "You think? She's only had that Shinx for an hour. I've heard that recently-caught Pokémon will only obey trainers to see if they're worth it or not. You've got to prove yourself."

"Droplet's disobeyed me," I pointed out.

"Really? What'd he do?"

"He used Bubble instead of Pound."

"Bubble versus Pound? I don't think that counts," Evan joked. He took a drink out of his water bottle, glancing at the sky. "It's definitely going to rain, don't you think?"

"Unless someone shows up and uses a weather-effecting move, yeah," Tim pointed out. "I hope you're right and we can get to the Oreburgh Gate before it does."

"We can," Warren declared confidently, "If we don't screw around catching Pokémon, that is. Let's get to Oreburgh, get settled in, and _then _build up our teams."

He led the way though another large patch of grass. As we continued onward, I asked, "Evan, why don't you have your Eevee out with you?"

Evan looked down at his shoes. "I was challenged by a trainer not long after I caught Sammy. They were good – they took out Fred before Sammy defeated them. I don't have any Revives on me, so I won't be able to get him back in action."

"I ran into Ken earlier, and I put him in the same situation that you're in. He challenged me, mind you."

"What's Ken got for his starter?"

"A Chimchar. I kinda wish I'd asked him to trade for Droplet."

"Why? He's not weak."

"He's hyper!" I argued. _And I think he's weak, and a bit too cute_, I added silently.

"Pip?" A childish, whistly voice asked from my hip.

"Not again," I groaned, looking to see Droplet's head peeking out of my backpack, which had suddenly increased in weight by about ten pounds. "That's the second time he's gotten out of his Poké ball today!"

"I've heard about these," Evan commented. "Some Pokémon are born with the ability to leave and enter their Poké balls at will."

"Hmm," I murmured, noting how Droplet was giving Night, who hung around by my ankles, haughty, jealous looks. The Shinx glared back at the Piplup.

"Piiiiiip!" the small Pokémon whined, shaking the bag around, causing me to stumble and fall on a Bidoof, who screeched wheezily and fled.

"Sorry, Night," I apologized, removing Droplet from the bag, "But I'm going to recall you."

Night gave me a disappointed look before I withdrew him. Droplet squeaked happily and ran in circles around my ankles.

Evan gave him a quizzical look. "I can see how that's going to get annoying."

"_Get_ annoying? He already _is _annoying. Hey! Droplet! Calm down!"

Droplet's response was to run off into the tall grass.

"Droplet!" I shouted, racing after him. I crashed into a boy – the same boy in yellow and blue with the Chimchar I'd seen earlier.

"Oh, hello," he spoke cheerfully. I noticed he was holding a squirming Droplet. "This is yours, I assume?"

I nodded. The boy passed Droplet back to me. I set him on my shoulders, somewhat pleased to see that Droplet was too worn out to even nibble on my ear.

"It's good to see that you're walking him," the boy continued. "Clearly, you are very kind to your Pokémon. I'm Artie Ivory, by the way. You?"

"Cyndi," I replied nervously. I wasn't going to give him my last name; I barely knew him.

"Are you heading to Hearthome City to do contests?" he asked casually. "It's a lovely city, the perfect place for a inexperienced trainer like yourself. I bet you'd do well in contests."

"No," I replied. "I'm going to Oreburgh for the gym badge."

Artie looked surprised, then disturbed. "The gym? I – I don't think you should go to gyms. I'm sure there are plenty of perfectly good professions you could engage in that aren't so…violent."

"Like what? _Contests_?"

Artie opened his mouth to object, when Warren shouted, "Hey! Cinders!"

Artie spotted the three boys as they approached. "Hello!" he called, waving. "How many Pokémon have you caught?"

Warren seemed caught off guard. "What?"

"How many Pokémon have you caught?" Artie repeated.

"Just one," Evan replied.

"None, actually," Warren added.

"Same here," Tim piped up.

Artie seemed taken aback again. "Really? The more Pokémon you catch, the more you can learn about Pokémon. And there's so much to learn! I guess I'll be leaving now."

He slipped off in the tall grass, heading back towards Jubilife.

"Who the heck was that?" Warren demanded after a moment of silence between us.

"He says his name is Artie Ivory and he has a Chimchar," I told him. "That's all I know."

"Hrmph," Warren replied. I noted out of the corner of my eye a flash of lightning. "Anyway, if we want to reach the Oreburgh Gate before it starts raining-"

He was interrupted by a boom of thunder.

"L-let's just go," Tim stuttered.

As we headed we headed towards the Oreburgh Gate, I wondered how in the name of the legendaries were Tim and Warren friends. They were so _different_ – Tim, shy and nervous, Warren, cocky and confident.

"Here we are," Warren announced, standing by a rough door carved into the rocky hill looming over us that acted as a barrier between Jubilife and Oreburgh.

"You sure?" I asked.

Warren pointed at a weather-beaten sign nailed next to the door:

OREBURGH GATE

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM STARTING FIRES, CREATING SMOKE, SETTING OFF PYROTECNICS, USING LARGE POKÉMON AND CAUSING EARTHQUAKES.

THANK YOU.

"Oh."

Grinning cheekily, Warren led the way into the tunnel.

The Oreburgh Gate was narrow and dark, giving me an uncomfortable feeling. It was dark, due to the fact its only light came from outside, where the clouds had turned into a dark roiling mass. Soon, I could smell and hear rain as it pounded down. Occasionally, thunder crashed. Droplet whined in my ear, as if he wanted to be in the rain.

There was a click, and a small light turned on. It turned out to be Tim, who was holding a flashlight. "It was getting kind of dark," he explained nervously, as if he was afraid the light would offend anyone.

We'd made it about halfway through the gate before Warren suggested we stop for the night and camp. We wound up settling down on a side path that was blocked by rocks.

"I don't suppose any of you have matches?" I asked, pulling out a Styrofoam cup of instant noodles.

"I have some, but we're not supposed to light fires in here," Evan pointed out. "Besides, wouldn't you need water to cook those?"

"I have water," I reminded him. "It's named Drop – hey!"

Droplet, who'd been digging in my bags, had found my socks, one of which he was chewing contentedly on. I grabbed it from him and whapped him over the head with it.

"Cyndi!" Evan complained.

I guess I lost it at that point. I spun around and shouted at him, "So it's nothing? It's nothing that he can't control himself? Nothing that he's a spaz? Oh, I'm sorry. Clearly, I must be doing something wrong. Like maybe I don't _love_ him enough, and all that junk. If you want to try to handle him, be my guest. Have fun trying to handle this pathetic bird that supposed to grow as hardened as time. Whatever _that _means."

I slammed Droplet's Poké ball to the ground and stormed off down the tunnel. When I reached the rocks, I climbed over them. I scraped my hands and knees, but I didn't care. I wanted to put some distance between him and me.

_I have Night and Metronome, _I told myself. _Why do I need _him? _I could release him. Or I could dump him on Patsy. She'd like him, since he's so pathetically cute._

The rage, the anger, the disappointment that had come with Droplet that had been building up since the moment I laid eyes on him had finally come loose. As if it couldn't get any worse, a new thought came to my head:

_Remember the stories about the legendaries that teachers would read you in school during story-time? Remember the story of the time traveler, Celebi, a Pokémon with seven weaknesses?_

I grabbed a rock from the ground and hurled it down the tunnel, watching it bounce into the darkness. _Hardened as time! _I thought furiously. _Time is weak to half of everything! _

I reached into my hip bag and called out Night. He gave me a worried look, as if he thought he knew what I was feeling. Purring nervously, he nudged me in the leg. I looked down to see his fur crackling slightly. I felt…strange. It took a minute for me to realize why; I was no longer feeling angry.

_It's almost as if…Night's drawing the anger out of me and changing it into electricity._

If you live in Jubilife City, you know some stuff about the Pokémon that live on the routes surrounding it. I knew that Shinx and its family members were Electric types; so obviously, they could use electricity's power. I'd seen a Luxio use Bite once, so they could use some Dark-type moves. But I knew they weren't Psychic or anything. I don't think they can even learn very many Psychic moves, if any.

_Maybe emotions are a form of energy, _I thought weakly, _and Night is merely drawing power from me._

I sat down, resting my back on the rocks. My head was still buzzing with thoughts, and heavy with anger. I was still fully dressed, counting my sneakers and hat. It was kind of chilly, and I'd left my stuff on the other side of the rocks. I hadn't had any dinner, and I was hungry. My hands and knees stung in the cold air. Yet somehow, as I held Night as if he was my old toy Girafarig, I managed to drift off to sleep.

…sorry that was so long.

Read and review please! Concrit is highly desired.


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